E Tenebris
by Creative Vizhion
Summary: When the Great Deku Tree died, dark plans were put into motion. Deep within the Forest, shadows are lengthening in the trees.
1. Introduction: E Tenebris

_Genre may change as story develops.  
The Legend of Zelda and all associated concepts are the property of Nintendo.

* * *

_

**E TENEBRIS  
**_(Out of Darkness) _

Come down, O Christ, and help me! reach Thy hand,  
For I am drowning in a stormier sea  
Than Simon on Thy lake of Galilee:  
The wine of life is spilt upon the sand,

My heart is as some famine-murdered land  
Whence all good things have perished utterly,  
And well I know my soul in Hell must lie  
If I this night before God's throne should stand.

'He sleeps perchance, or rideth to the chase,  
Like Baal, when his prophets howled that name  
From morn to noon on Carmel's smitten height.'

Nay, peace, I shall behold, before the night,  
The feet of brass, the robe more white than flame,  
The wounded hands, the weary human face.

-- _Oscar Wilde

* * *

_

It Lieth Within:  
_A Narrative of Grande and Masterfulle qualities, the like of whiche  
Hath not hitherto been seene._

BEING IN ALLE THINGS  
_A Recording of the Rise of the Greene Sage,  
An Accounting of the Coming of the Seconde Half-Elf,  
And a Description of the Release of Farore's Forest frome the Domination of Darkness._

CONTAINING THERIN ALSO  
_Supplements from the Legendes and Histories of Hyrule's Peoples,  
An Accountte of the Forest Folke,  
Quotations of Relevancy and Interestte,  
Reflections of a Wise and Helpful nature._

AND  
_Faeries, goblins, immortals, Undead, elves, Shadow Folke, foxes, strange spirits, Large Talking Trees, monsters, dragons, mysterious dreams, Sages, ghosts, greater and lesser deities, a Beaver holding a Fish_  
And other Strange and Wonderfulle Creatures of the Land of Hyrule.

* * *

**Dramatis Personae**

**_Kin of the Eldest  
_**Green-Haired Saria of her Own House, with Fae -- _the Lady of the Woods  
_Matron Kinsi of Saria's House, with Prysime -- _the Boss of the Musician's Guild; Saria's "mother"  
_Middori of Saria's House, with Daensa -- _Saria's blind sister  
_Greyeyes Aylla of the House of Twins, with Twinkil -- _the sightless Seer  
_Old Good Nature Linno of the House of Leaves, with Whispa -- _the Boss of the Bookkeeper's Guild  
_Bearclaws Aililik of the House of the Guardian, with Rusla -- _a Hunter _

**_Gods and Deities  
_**The Holy Triumvirate  
Farore -- _the Goddess of Spirit, Life, Secrets, and Courage  
_Nayru -- _the Goddess of Mind, Law, Time, and Wisdom  
_Din -- _the Goddess of Body, Earth, Purity, and Power_

The Eldest Kokiri  
Bookish Akiyin -- _the writer  
_Akonin the Skilful -- _the delver  
_Tisuuma Secret-Keeper -- _the concealer  
_Rowana the Red -- _the healer  
_Asrapheli Star-Lover -- _the watchful  
_Alvardi the Guardian -- _the champion  
_Ruhako the Gardiner -- _the silent  
_Dark Zokotees -- _the mourning  
_Sleeping Mikkuo -- _the First and Eldest_

The Three's Servants  
The Great Deku Tree -- _the Kokirish patriarch_

**_Others  
_**The Narrator -- _from whose perspective the story is told  
_A Hypothetical Observer -- _a hypothetical observer

* * *

_

_That Which Is Containéd Within:_

Prelude: Salve.  
_In which lieth a discourse on the nature of Rules_.

Prologue: Ab Aeterno.  
_In which lieth the creation of the Forest; the First Kokiri; the promises to Mikkuo_

Part I: Ab Incunabulis.  
_In which lieth the Beginnings of many things; Saria's family and friends; an exploration of the Lost Woods by the Narrator_ _

* * *

_

CAVEAT

_So sayeth the Kokiri:_  
"Be careful in new places. New places have new experiences, so do not trust your assumptions; new places have new dangers, so do not be lax in your senses; above all, new places have new secrets, so do not let go of your sense of wonder and curiosity."

_So sayeth the Great Deku Tree:_  
"Enter the Lost Woods if thou must,  
but Feedeth Not the Animals."

* * *

Notes and Trivia:_  
-- __The "feet of brass" in Oscar Wilde's poem sounds more than a bit weird, but it refers to Revelation 1:12-16.  
-- The "Dramatis Personae" and "Containéd Within" sections will be updated as more names and chapters are added to the story.  
-- I apologize for any repetition or description of the well-known or obvious; I'm trying to create a story that can be enjoyed by people unfamiliar with the Zelda franchise.  
-- Please enjoy. _


	2. Prelude: Salve

_The Legend of Zelda and all associated concepts are the property of Nintendo._

_

* * *

_

**Prelude: Salve_.  
_**_(Welcome.)_

To see the world in a grain of sand  
And heaven in a wild flower,  
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,  
And eternity in an hour.  
_-- William Blake. "Auguries of Innocence."_

* * *

The creation of the world is the subject of much study in the land of Hyrule. 

The stories and legends surrounding it, while very firm on some points, are remarkably ambiguous on others. For instance, while it is quite clear that Din devised the seasons, it is unclear how and why she did so. Did the Goddess of Power do it to help mark the time Nayru first measured? As a way of testing the strength of Farore's living creations? Did the Goddess of Courage have to alter her trees so they would change with the seasons, or did the two sisters plan together to create the cycle of winter and summer?

Many other questions about the Holy Triumvirate's creation have been posed by the priestesses, priests, and theologians of Hyrule. A great deal of effort, for example, has been put into discovering the most important of Nayru's Laws. Some philosophers say that the first Law must dictate that a balance be kept between the forces of the universe, while others say that it must concern magic, the unifying force between living creatures and unliving earth. Some say that the prime Law must declare the supremacy of the Triumvirate over the rest of the universe; still others hold that it must be a declaration that all things, great and small, are subject to Nayru's Law.

An enormous amount of thought and effort has gone into formulating these possible answers, none of which are correct.

There are, actually, many wise or erudite beings in Hyrule who have an idea of the truth of this matter. Some have an inkling of the correct answer, and others are more confident; but in all of the kingdom, there is only one being who is absolutely certain his answer is the right one.

In the eastern part of Hyrule, inside the small safe haven of the Kokiri Forest, which in turn lies within the vast amalgamation of corporeal and incorporeal life known to the world as the Lost Woods, stands the Great Deku Tree. A guardian spirit of almost unmatchable wisdom and magic, the Great Deku Tree was seeded by Farore herself before the labours of the Goddesses were completed, and watched firsthand as the Triumvirate pieced creation together. To the scholars of Hyrule, he is more of a legend then the Goddesses themselves; those who believe he exists would pay almost any price for the chance to be shown the way through the shadows and enchantments of the Lost Woods and to be brought to the Eldest Tree's meadow, to ask him about the Goddess of Wisdom and her Law.

The Deku Tree was there when Nayru's Laws were still in the writing; if asked, he could say, confidently and accurately, that the greatest and most important of Nayru's rules is the rule that says all the other rules are really only guidelines.

Wisely, the Great Deku Tree has decided not to spread this knowledge around.

* * *

"Life is a flame that is always burning itself out, but it catches fire again each time a child is born."  
_-- George Bernard Shaw_

"In youth we learn; in age we understand."  
_-- Marie von Eber-Eschenbach

* * *

_

Notes and Trivia:  
_-- Does anyone know another way to divide sections besides those dull, repetitive "hr" things?  
-- Next time: __the creation of the Forest; Mikkuo and the First Kokiri; __the promises to the First and Eldest_


	3. Prologue: Ab Aeterno

The Legend of Zelda and all associated concepts are the property of Nintendo.

* * *

**Prologue: Ab Aeterno.  
**_(From the Beginning of Time.)_

"No man can possibly know what life means, what the world means, until he has a child and loves it. And then the whole universe changes and nothing will ever again seem exactly as it seemed before."  
_--Lafcadio Hearn

* * *

_

In the beginning, when the Sacred Triumvirate was in the process of creating Hyrule, it came to Farore's attention that the life she was creating was in danger. The work of the sisters was still incomplete: Din still laboured to shape the planet, to separate the fire from the earth, and the water from the air; Nayru still wrote and changed her great Law which would bind and control the primordial chaos-force. The life which Farore's spirit had brought into being was very fragile: almost as fast as they were created, plants were killed by the violent upheavals of the new earth, and spirits were corrupted and destroyed by the remaining chaos-force. If life was to flourish as the Goddess of Courage intended, it would need a place in which it could take root and grow strong.

With this in mind, Farore created a vast forest. At her sister's request, the Goddess of Wisdom gave the place a Law all its own, to give it some protection from the remaining chaos which ran rampant on the infant world. Delighted by what was taking shape, Din the Goddess of Power made certain that developing life would have everything it needed: clean water, clear air, bright sunlight and rich earth. As a final touch, Farore wove a web of shadowy enchantments and phantoms through the trees, creating an incorporeal maze which sealed the forest from intrusion.

As the forest neared completion, Farore called upon those servants she had who were too powerful to be corrupted by the chaos-force. From among them she asked for a guardian to watch over and protect this new place. Immediately, an especially powerful spirit-- one who had grown to love the woods as he watched them grow-- came forward and begged for the honour. The Goddess of Courage gave the spirit authority over the forest and the magics surrounding it, and the freedom to command and change those magics as he saw fit. With this new power, the spirit travelled to an open meadow in the safest part of the forest, where he manifested himself as a colossal tree, towering over the other plants in the woods. Named the Great Deku Tree by Farore, he happily served as caretaker and warden of the forest from that moment onwards.

In this sanctum, safe from the turmoil of the still-developing world, life blossomed. Plants sprang from the soil, flowering in a multitude of vibrant colours and filling the air with soft fragrances. Animals appeared, from delicate and graceful birds to ferocious, gigantic reptiles to swift and cunning mammals. Spirits burst into life, changing and shaping themselves into a myriad of shapes and varieties, fairies and goblins and sprites and nymphs. Working from within the hidden garden of the Forest, Farore filled the world with diverse and incredible forms of life-- and planned still more. Her most powerful creations, the Hylian people who would act as stewards in the Triumvirate's absence, were still to come.

In his meadow, the Great Deku Tree began to feel a deep sadness. The responsibility of caring for the forest had not lost its joy, but the work was hard, and he desired some way to ease his burden; as well, he was unhappy that he would never be able to meet the Hylia, fixed as he was within the impenetrable enchantments of the woods. Eventually, he besought Farore for a companion to help him in his duties to the Goddesses.

He was struck with amazement by the reply: the Triumvirate would permit the Great Deku Tree to create his _own_ form of life with the powers they had given him. The new members of the forest would be incorporated into Nayru's Law, becoming an irrefutable part of the Goddesses' creation.

Amazed and delighted by the opportunity he was given, the Great Deku Tree set to work at once. With the intention of creating a new kind of fairy-- for he admired them the most of all Farore's creations-- the Great Deku Tree took a new, small, unformed spirit and bent all of his power into it. He wove the magics of the woods around it, filling it with the essence of that sacred place. Finally, he poured into it all his love for the Goddesses, for their Law, for the world they were creating, and most of all for the forest from which life was slowly spreading across the land.

The result was not what he had expected.

The Great Deku Tree's first creation took the shape of a Hylian child, and surpassed all other things in the forest in beauty. Farore's sacred spirit, which charged the world with life, burned in her like a flame, and her eyes shone with a deep wisdom even in her earliest days. The Deku Tree did not have the powers of the Goddess of Courage, and his creation was flawed; however, those imperfections, her naivety and openness, only added to her ultimate perfection. The fairies of the woods adored her; they gave her a name in their own language, a name that has long been forgotten, meaning "imperfect and perfect." The Deku Tree selected a powerful fairy to watch over her, to act as a guide, mentor and guardian. When, accompanied by her fairy partner and dressed in Farore's green, she was she was at last presented to the Triumvirate, they were delighted with her as well – especially the Goddess of Courage, who was called "Grandmother" by the new spirit.

* * *

Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,  
Now the sun is laid to sleep,  
Seated in thy silver chair,  
State in wonted manner keep;  
Hesperus entreats thy light,  
Goddess excellently bright.

_--Ben Jonson. "Queen and Huntress."__

* * *

_

In time, the Great Deku Tree created for his first child eight siblings, four brothers and four sisters, each with a guardian fairy partner. As the children lived, they watched the Triumvirate weave the world together, and by watching and remembering learned things that none have been able to discover or understand since. Time passed, and other forest children were created by the Deku Tree, each with a fairy partner and the same imperfections possessed by the First. Because they were born of spirits and magic from the forest, their vitality was bound to it, and they could not leave it without losing strength and fading from life; within their boundaries, though, they flourished. Many of these children achieved great things, but none were ever able to equal in wisdom, power or majesty the nine Eldest-- just as none of the Eldest could ever compare to their First Sister.

Of the Eldest, one of the earliest to be created has been remembered as Bookish Akiyin. Akiyin was fascinated with language. She was quick to understand any new tongue she heard, and loved learning and creating new languages and forms of writing. She was the first to give names to the Kokiri Forest Children, her race, and to the Kokiri Forest itself, the safe haven of life within the far-spread and dangerous Lost Woods. The Bookish One created a language that was used always as the first tongue of the Kokiri; each child born thereafter into that race was given a name in that language by his or her peers, with the exception of the First of the Eldest, who was named by the Great Deku Tree.

Akiyin had a twin brother, Akonin the Skilful. Akonin enjoyed working with his hands. By listening to the Goddess of Wisdom, he learned how to shape both the earth and the things that could be drawn from it. From his hands came tools, fabrics, pottery, and sculptures. When burrowing beneath the surface lost its interest, the Skilful One began delving deep into the earth, creating vast underground caverns with carven walls, lit by glowing gemstones uncovered from the rocks.

The twins learned from others everything they could and would teach anything they knew; their sister, Tisuuma Secret-Keeper, sought to learn only what no-one could teach and few should know. The Secret-Keeper traveled into the dark and hidden places between the trees, seeking to learn about things that could break or restore the balance of forces the Goddesses had created within the Lost Woods. When she did learn a secret, she guarded it fiercely, using her knowledge only in the defence of the Kokiri race and the Triumvirate's forest.

These three of the Eldest are remembered as the Learners: they spent their lives improving their knowledge and using what they knew to better the Kokiri. They preferred to stay within the boundaries of the Kokiri Forest, leaving only to practice or improve their chosen disciplines, or while in the company of Nayru. The next three favoured the companionship of Din, and were often found roaming abroad. They are remembered as the Sentinels, for they were-- and in part, still are-- the protectors of the Kokiri from things against which they had no other defence; from the beginnings of their lives, they were also the most dedicated defenders of the First of the Eldest.

The most fondly remembered is Alvardi the Guardian. He was a fighter and a hunter, often travelling into the Lost Woods to bring back meat to feed the Kokiri. With the help of Akonin, he created weapons with which the Kokiri could defend themselves and hunt, and taught the other Forest Children how to use them. None of his siblings could match Alvardi in a test of physical prowess, or could equal him in combat against beasts or spirits. The dark-eyed Guardian travelled all over the Lost Woods in companionship with the First; when not exploring, he patrolled the edges of the Kokiri Forest with his brother Asrapheli, warding off or destroying threats to the Kokiri.

While Alvardi enjoyed the vibrant colours of twilight, Asrapheli Star-Lover enjoyed the cold fire and delicate light of the moon and stars. He rarely went out in the day, or even into the Kokiri Forest, preferring the solitude and beauty of the Lost Woods at night. Star-Lover used plants in the Woods to darken his hair, and Akonin wove tiny silver jewels into clothes of black cloth for him, so when seen from a distance he looked like a piece of the starry sky come down to the earth. Asrapheli avoided the other Kokiri: he sought the company only of the other Eldest, and especially of the First, for none of his siblings were as fond of her as he was. In spite of the little time he spent among them all the Kokiri knew of him, and felt comforted by his vigilant presence.

The last of the Sentinels is Rowana the Red. Rowana was beautiful even in comparison to the other Eldest: her eyes were a brilliant sapphire blue, and her long golden hair seemed to catch and reflect the sunlight. Instead of the green worn by the other Kokiri, she dressed in red as bright as the rubies Akonin drew from the ground. The Red One was an aesthete, and did everything she could to bring more beauty into the Kokiri Forest: she collected flowers, painted and wove great tapestries, and composed marvellous works of music. She loved the magnificence of the Lost Woods, and would travel into them often; her magnificence and warm manner were enough to charm even the beasts of the forest, and she gained many animal and spirit allies who helped repel from the Kokiri forest anything that would mar its beauty. From the animals and spirits she befriended she learned of the diseases of the woods, and of the medicinal herbs and plants that could cure them; she became in time the greatest healer the Forest Children have ever known.

The Kokiri are creatures of spirit; in those early days, they were aware as no other creatures were of their Grandmother's living soul filling the world, and none felt that creative essence as strongly as the last three of the Eldest. They were perhaps closest to the Goddesses in appearance and thought; certainly they were more closely connected to the forest then any spirit that existed then or after, with the single exception of the Great Deku Tree. They are remembered as the Royals: they were the greatest leaders of the Kokiri, and Farore's favourites. Ruhako and Zokotees were the youngest of the nine Eldest; the last of the three was the First.

The Kokiri speak little of Ruhako the Gardener, but no other of the Eldest is held in such high esteem. Unlike the other Kokiri, she had not been created from an infant spirit. Her essence had existed in the forest since the first trees were grown, and in her corporeal form her understanding of woodcraft and forest-lore rivalled even that of the Great Tree. Even in a physical incarnation, she remained close to the ethereal world, and retained a power over the mystical essence of the forest her entire life. With her unrivalled knowledge of the woods, she helped the First lead the Kokiri in the labour of their most sacred trust: the support and sustenance of the Kokiri Forest and the life that was spreading from it. She is also remembered for her benevolence and empathy; it is said that she did not in her life speak a single word, yet her openness and strength of emotion were such that Kokiri could read her thoughts in her eyes and expression. Of the Eldest who have since departed, only the First is missed more than the Gardener, and only Zokotees is more lamented.

Zokotees was the last of the Eldest to come in to being. He was proud, and refused during his life in the Forest to accept any nickname or title; yet there have been few Kokiri so full of pride for their kin, race, and home, and only the Star-Lover cared more for the First of the Eldest. In all things Zokotees struggled to be like his Eldest Sister, and sought out her company more than anyone else. He toiled also in learning the crafts and arts of his Elder siblings, trying to attain perfection in everything he did; while he was never able to match each of the Eldest in his or her favourite discipline, he was able to match or overreach each one in all the others, so that only the First was his true superior. While all the other Kokiri in time became weary of their labour and needed to rest Zokotees never ceased working, and he would often force the others to their the end of their endurance, compelling them to push back their limits; he sought always to inspire in them the same fierce and unwavering determination that burned within himself, and always drove the Kokiri to strive for greater and greater goals. Despite being a hard taskmaster, Zokotees was for a long time held in the same regard as the Eldest herself. It is said by Kokirish scholars that the forest children could never have achieved the glory or greatness they later did without the spark of ambition that Zokotees kindled. That ambition and determination is Zokotees' undying legacy to the Kokiri, and endured even when all his other good works were brought to ruin by the direness and horror of his final years.

There is one Kokiri whose power and wisdom has never been matched, even by Zokotees. Over the vast length of her life she was given many names: she was known as the First and Eldest, the Lady of Summer, the Imperfect One, and the Forest Queen – but she is most often remembered as Mikkuo, the name given to her by the Great Deku Tree. She appeared to be the youngest of her siblings, but was in fact the oldest by far: the Sacred Triumvirate's work was only beginning when she first drew breath, and she walked alone under the trees for untold ages before the other Eldest were given shape. She was adored by the Kokiri, particularly by the Eldest, especially by Alvardi and Zokotees, and above all by Asrapheli. Having seen the world in its very first beginnings, Mikkuo knew things about the way it worked that not even the Learners could realize, even discovering how to escape the Forest and live beyond the trees. The vibrancy of her spirit, perhaps, was too great to be contained within the small Kokiri Forest.

In time, it seemed as if it could not be contained even within Hyrule, for the world seemed to her to be losing some of its intrigue and mystery. There was a time, so long ago that only the Kokiri have record of it, when the Imperfect One, impatient of waiting for the Triumvirate to finish their creation and bored of the parts she was able to explore, begged Farore to give her a way to push back her horizons.

The response, delivered by the smiling Goddess of Courage, left her as shocked as her father had been ages before.

If she could wait until Hyrule was complete – and find her own way to get there – then the Goddesses would allow her to enter into the heavens, and would there raise her to the status of a lesser deity, like the Great Deku Tree before her.

Mikkuo was awestruck and delighted. Entering heaven was, of course, challenging, but it was not impossible for someone who had watched the Goddesses as long as the First Eldest and knew how they worked their magic. The powers she could achieve as a deity would make her of more use to the forest than she could ever be as a forest fairy. And she would not go alone, for so great was the Kokiri's love for their Eldest Sister that they promised to follow and serve her.

Within the Forest, the Kokiri were organized into several Houses, each with one of the Eldest as leader. Each House performed a different service for the forest children: Akiyin's House kept books and records, Alvardi's House dwelt in the Lost Woods and consisted of hunters and fighters, Rowana's House was made up of musicians, artists, and healers. Only Asrapheli chose not to lead, counting himself a part of the House of his brother the Guardian. The Kokiri's bosses and teachers were a part of Mikkuo's House.

TheImperfect Oneherself was the race's leader. Only Zokotees felt anything close to the devotion that Mikkuo had for the forest. She created many beautiful gardens in the Lost Woods with Ruhako, and explored deep along its paths with Alvardi and Asrapheli. With Akiyin she created names for the living creatures in the woods; there was one bird, pure white with a gold crest and a song that blended joy and sorrow, which she was so fond of the Kokiri named them after her, calling them _mikos_.

Time passed. In Hyrule the Goddesses forged, formed and wrote, daily growing closer to the completion of their labours and the realization of their plans. In his meadow, the Great Deku Tree wrapped the forest magic around the Kokiri, protecting them. In the Kokiri Forest, the fairy children strove to keep the balance of the forces within the Woods. Within their Houses, the Eldest grew, and Mikkuo worked to prepare herself to open the way into the heavens. All things were perfect.

But all things change. The Kokiri would carry the scars caused by the dreadfulness of Mikkuo's ruin until the end of the world.

--_excerpt from The Legends of Elves and Fairies,  
__by Old Good Nature Linno

* * *

_

As from the power of sacred lays  
The Spheres began to move,  
And sung the great Creator's praise  
To all the blest above,  
So when this last and dreadful hour  
This crumbling pageant shall devour,  
The trumpet shall be heard on high,  
The dead shall live, the living die,  
And music shall untune the sky.

_--John Dryden. "Song for Saint Cecilia's Day."_

_

* * *

_

Notes and Triva:  
_-- The names of each of the Eldest are based on real names found online. Mikkuo is an anagram of Kumiko, meaning "eternal beautiful child."  
-- Next time: beginnings of many things; Saria's family and friends; an exploration of the Lost Woods by the Narrator_


	4. Part I: Ab Incunabulis

___The Legend of Zelda and all associated concepts are the property of Nintendo.

* * *

_

**Part I: Ab Incunabulis.  
**_(From the Cradle.)_

_"Lords of spirit, Lords of breath,_  
_Lords of fireflies, stars, and light,_  
_Who will keep the world from death?_  
_Who will stop the coming night?_  
_Blue eyes, blue eyes, have the sight."_

_-- Madeleine L'Engle. A Swiftly Tilting Planet._

* * *

This is a story about growing up, about family, about being different, about the inherent power in small things, and about a great escape from an encroaching darkness. Convention dictates that we should start at the beginning. In this instance, however, the beginning is a bit difficult to locate; stories such as this are like rivers, starting in many places, and flowing together to create one complete whole. 

One beginning took place such a long time ago that it is quite a waste of time to give it any length of time at all…

_A figure steps into the light of the fairies circling overhead. The children around him shriek in fear at the sight of his burning golden eyes and retreat, thinking him to be some apparition come out of the Woods. _

_Two do not run, a boy and a girl, twins. They rush forward, horrified by something the others do not yet grasp. As the three cluster together, other children begin creeping back towards them. The night is filled with soft sounds… whispers of surprise as they recognize the intruder, and gasps of horror as they see the small body he cradles in his arms. _

…another took place so long ago that nobody remembers exactly how long ago it was.

_The woman, her forehead still damp from the effort of childbirth, cradles her new son and sings softly to him in a language the old midwife does not recognize. _

_"He's a fine boy," the midwife says crisply. "It's a shame about the eyes." Indeed, the eyes the infant is turning on the world are grey and sightless. _

_The woman smiles up at her. "Thank you. Don't worry about him; his eyes are fine."_

_"He's blind!" _

_"Only for a short while." _

_Disgruntled, the old lady opens her mouth to argue, thinks better of it, and instead says, "I'll fetch the father." As she exits the room, the sharp hearing of the woman on the bed catches fragments of muttered comments: "…fairy woman…bring curses on all of us…."_

_The woman sighs, and looks back to her child, his blind eyes now closing in sleep. His head is topped with short hair; even darkened with moisture, it is quite clearly green. _

_"Welcome to Grandmother's world, half-elf," the woman whispers with a smile, giving him a gentle kiss. "You have a long journey ahead of you." _

Something else began only fourteen years after that.

_Three children rush forward to aid the messenger as he collapses, finally overcome by weariness. The roar of the foundry all but drowns out the sounds of fearful whispers and soft crying. A sense of panic fills the stone cave as the messenger's words sink in. The enemy is coming. There is no escape. _

_Slowly, all attention shifts to the figure sitting on a stool nearby, the one to whom the message was addressed. Even in the bloody light of the forges, his eyes burn the brilliant gold of dusk. Those haunting eyes are fixed on the small sword in his lap, its blade and handle as white as poisoned flesh. _

_There is no fear in those eyes. Placing the sword aside, the figure stands and begins to speak. _

_Lying on the ground, panting, listening to the words flow over him, the messenger watches the crying stop. Despair and hopelessness vanish from the faces of the assembled children, and are replaced by a fierce, burning will to live. As the messenger sees the courage burning suddenly within them, he feels a sudden, almost painful spark of hope._

Yet another beginning was nearly three hundred years ago…

_Less than a month before, colourful ribbons streamed from the enormous branches of the Great Tree overhead, and the village was filled with the sounds of celebration. The meadow is empty of vibrant colours now, but the feeling celebration is back, charging the Tree's meadow with a sense of joyful anticipation. _

_Standing in front of the Tree's gaping mouth, a little girl hesitates. She looks briefly over her shoulder at her friends, who whisper and gesture their encouragement. Her momentary trepidation overcome, she walks into the darkness. _

_The fairy circling above her illuminates a long corridor, its walls painted with bright colours and fantastic murals. Stepping forward, glancing in amazement at the walls, she begins to walk…_

_Some minutes later, she reaches her objective. The tunnel is blocked by a green curtain; beyond is a small unadorned circular chamber. In the centre a cradle is growing right out of the wooden floor; a small fairy floats just above. _

_Inside the cradle, staring about with grey, sightless eyes, is a tiny infant_.

… and another took place more or less a decade gone by.

_The pain on the woman's face is displaced by amazement. Lying on the planks of the rope bridge, she stares as the child in front of her -- a green-haired girl, with a fairy following her -- turns and swings her hand as if driving something off. _

_"No! She's hurt, and she has a baby! Let her through! I command it!" _

_The child's voice raises to a shout, and changes, becoming as rich and resonant as an orchestra; the woman knows that she will never forget that voice, or be able to completely describe it. _

_"LET HER THROUGH!" _

Another beginning is taking place right now…

* * *

"I can hear them singing." 

The girl blinked, but did not reply immediately, having learned already that it was sometimes wiser to think before responding to her small charge's strange comments. The girl appeared to be a small child, maybe ten or eleven, though a bit big for her age. Her clothes – a sleeveless, long-necked shirt and a skirt that reached just past mid-thigh, both made of the same soft green fabric – rasped against the wooden surface of the curved roof beneath her. The girl's reddish-brown hair was tied back and held down with a wide white ribbon. A pair of brown leather boots was discarded on her one side; lying against her on her other side was an even smaller child, looking about three or four years old.

"What do you mean, Emerald?"

In unconscious mimicry of her guardian, the smaller child paused before answering. Her gaze remained upward, fascinated by the multitude of floating motes of light, filling the Kokiri Forest with a soft illumination even this late at night.

"The fairies," said little Saria, pointing upwards. "They're singing to each other. And the trees, too. You can sing, right, Matron? Can you sing like that?"

Kinsi of the House of Twins, who in recent months had indeed become known as Matron, blinked in slight surprise. "I don't think I can. I didn't even realize they were singing."

"It's a hymn to the Blue Goddess." This voice was not really a voice at all, but a blending of half-formed mental impressions and gentle chiming that had the rhythm of a strange language, and was understood through a sense of intuition rather than a sense of hearing. "We have a different one for each phase of the moon, and it's a new moon tonight." The silent voice seemed to be coming from Kinsi's collar.

"Hmm." Saria's clothing rustled as she shifted closer to Kinsi. "Can you sing, Prism?"

"It's Prysime," said the voice, accompanied by a gentle cadence which may have been a chuckle. "And of course I can. I'm a fairy."

As Saria opened her mouth, the invisible creature added, "And so can Fae."

"That's right," chimed a slightly different voice from somewhere about Saria's person.

Her question anticipated and answered, Saria released the breath she had been gathering in a short rush, and fell into an unaccustomed silence.

Kinsi turned her attention to the child at her side. The younger girl – younger, in fact, by nearly four centuries -- was dressed in a smaller replica of Kinsi's own outfit, with the exception of a thinner ribbon. Like Kinsi, her eyes were a clear blue; unlike the elder child, her hair was as bright green as her clothes, like strands of emerald -- hence Kinsi's pet name for her. Those eyes were still gazing enraptured at the drifting fairies above, the blue gaze flickering from one to another as the light of the tiny spirits drifted in and out of visibility. Her faced was tensed slightly in concentration, as if she was assembling another question.

_Which she probably is_, Kinsi thought with a rueful smile. She enjoyed nurturing the kid -- every infant Kokiri was called a kid -- but having the girl reach maturity wouldn't be so bad: it would mean an end to her constant, unquenchable curiosity about _everything_.

But it would not be for a while yet. From helping others raise new children, Kinsi knew the immature stage could last anywhere from one year to twenty. Whereas Saria was only…

…how old? Just how long ago had Kinsi carried the baby out of the Great Deku Tree? Five months? Six?

Kinsi wrestled with her memory for a moment, and gave up. It didn't really matter, anyway. Saria would be asking questions for a long time yet.

On cue, the green-haired girl's voice piped up.

"Why can I hear it, and you can't?"

"I'm not sure. Because you're special, I think."

Kinsi mouthed the word as Saria said it. "Why?"

"Because…" Kinsi thought for a moment, then continued, "Do you remember what the Season of New Growth is?"

"No."

"_Try_, Saria."

Silence. Kinsi looked over see Saria's face locked in an expression of fierce concentration, the tip of her tongue protruding past her teeth. The girl nicknamed Matron felt a flash of amused sympathy. A Kokirish memory was a blessing and curse: with it, you could remember a day thousands of years ago in perfect clarity -- if you could force it to work at all.

Saria didn't have much experience remembering things, but she was learning fast. Barely two minutes had gone by when Kinsi heard a soft gasp. "I remember!"

"Good, Emerald. Now, what is it?"

"It's the time when forest spirits can become new Kokiri and join the village."

"Perfect! Now, what happens to the Kokiri with really powerful spirits?"

"They…" Saria hesitated, but to Kinsi's surprise continued: "They appear out of the Season?"

"Right! And can you remember how new Kokiri are created?"

Saria made a soft sound of confusion. "By the Great Deku Tree?"

"I mean what they look like," clarified Kinsi.

"Like everyone else."

"Not quite. Are all Kokiri created the same?"

"Yes. Oh…" Saria's voice rose in triumph as another memory was wrestled into light. "Except some are only babies!"

"Very good, Em." Kinsi sat up, stretched, and smiled down at Saria. "Children created out of season have powerful spirits; children born as infants have a powerful connection to the forest."

"Saria's got both," said Saria, not even attempting to keep a note of smugness out of her voice.

"Right. You're what we call a Grand Child, Saria; you'll shake the Kokiri Forest to its roots during your life."

"Saria, it's almost time for the feast."

Saria blinked, looked at the forest around her, and suddenly recognized that none of it was real.

* * *

Saria blinked again. She was standing in front of a basin on a table in the single circular room of her house. Fae drifted in slow circles above her head. Directly in front of her was Kinsi of Saria's House, called Matron by her family, standing with her hands on her hips and an expression of rueful amusement on her face. 

"It's almost time," the older Kokiri said again. "Middori and Aylla came with me, only I sent them away for a few minutes until you woke up. Only I got tired of waiting, so I woke you up myself." Kinsi gave her former charge a quick look-over. "How long've you been here, Saria? Have you even _washed_?"

"I…how long…what?"

Kinsi closed her eyes and released an exasperated (and, to Saria, familiar) sigh. When she looked again, she was smiling softly. "That must have been a vivid memory, Em."

Saria shook her head, trying to clear it, and glanced around her home in an effort to reassert a feeling of familiarity. The wide room had white curtains draped high on the walls, and a soft, circular white rug covered most of the floor. Around the edges were placed a table with a couple stools, a bed, and the table with the basin at which Saria now stood; aside from these, the only objects in the room were an assortment of large pots and metal tools clustered near the door. Lamps on the tables filled the room with clear white light.

"Hello? Emerald?"

"Oh!" Saria started, and her face broke into a smile. "Sorry. You're right, it _was _vivid."

"What was it? And wash up, or we'll be late."

As Saria turned to the basin, she said, "It was a night a long time ago. I was asking you about the fairies singing. And…" The green-haired girl looked back at her caregiver with a mocking grin. "…it was from _your _point of view, Matron."

Kinsi raised an eyebrow in response. "Humph. No need to act smirky just 'cause you can reach the collective memory and I can't…"

"Hey, Green-Hair? Matron?"

"You can come in," said Kinsi loudly, turning to the figures in the door. "She's stopped daydreaming."

"Then she's ready to go?" said the petite Aylla. With Middori holding on to her arm she walked smoothly into the room, a act which became much more impressive when one realized that neither the blank, grey eyes of Aylla nor those of Middori were capable of sight.

"Not yet. _Wash_, Saria."

Briefly sticking out her tongue, Saria turned again to the basin. Leaning over the water, she paused for a moment to observe her reflection.

The vivid image of a diminutive green-haired girl in the clothing of the House of Twins flickered briefly before her vision. Things had changed. Now, she was as tall as most of the other girls in the Forest, although she had long since given up hope of ever being as tall as Kinsi. As her social position and occupation had changed over the years, her clothes had too. She had been wearing this uniform for nearly two centuries now, and it was her favourite: the sleeveless, collarless shirt covered another, darker one with a thicker weave, a collar, and wrist-length sleeves (to provide protection against cuts and scratches); the skirt was replaced with shorts (which, due to tradition, had been hemmed up to a skirt's length), and the boots were more compact, designed for climbing instead of walking. Everything from the ribbon in her hair down to her dyed boots, with the single exception of the golden buckle on her belt, was one of a dozen earthy shades of green.

Another memory briefly obscured her vision as she rolled up her sleeves and dipped her fingers in the water: a strange blue-eyed infant boy with a beautiful, piercing gaze. Things had changed, indeed…

As Saria washed the day's grime off her hands, Kinsi was enquiring as to the state of the village outside.

"Everything's cool," said Aylla, sitting Middori down on Saria's bed. "The final table is getting set up on the hill, the last runes are getting painted on the Spirit Tree, and the smells coming from Siddo's bakery are absolutely delicious."

"What's he cooking?" asked Middori. She was ignored, which didn't bother her.

"Everybody's looking forward to this," continued Aylla. "You know that people weren't sure if we'd even have enough food for a feast, what with all the trouble lately, see."

The uncooperative memory common to all the forest children -- and the unrestrained curiosity common to infant Kokiri -- compelled Middori to ask, "What trouble?"

"Never mind." Kinsi quickly blocked off that avenue of conversation. She had always said there was a time and place for every topic; if Saria was in earshot, it was not the place for that one.

Scrubbing her face, the green-haired girl was pointedly ignoring them.

"Everyone's looking forward to it, anyway," said Aylla, slightly abashed by her incautious choice of words. "There's not a single person who's staying home, see. Even…" She hesitated, and continued with a sly smile. "There's even a few people from the Guardian's House."

Kinsi was now wearing a smile of her own, but any reply she had was cut off by the sudden burst of sputtering and coughing coming from the basin.

"Saria?" Middori had turned toward her, her normally impassive expression showing a bit of concern.

"Your sister's OK, kid," said Kinsi cheerfully, patting her second charge on her shoulder before striding over to aid her first one. "She's just swallowed a bit of water. _Breathe_, Saria."

Shaking the older Kokiri off, Saria spun to confront her blind friend. "It's Bearclaws, isn't it? He's here!"

"Yup!"

Laughing with delight, Saria turned again and fumbled for a towel on the table. "You knew he was coming? And you didn't tell me!"

"I didn't know, not until we met him two minutes ago, see. He said he was going up to the Boss's table to see Mido."

"Mido's up there already? Matron, what time is it?"

"It's probably around seventeen-anh-thirty…"

"What! It's half an hour till sunset! We're late!"

"That's what I was trying to _tell_ you, Em…" Kinsi tried to say as Saria started jamming a comb through her hair.

"Who's Bearfangs?" asked Middori from the bed.

"Bear_claws_…he's one of my best friends, Middori! Remember?" Saria threw the comb aside and tried frantically to replace her ribbon. "I haven't seen him in a month!"

"Why not?"

"Because she hasn't gone into the Woods, kid," spoke up Kinsi. "And Aililik is a Hunter, so he doesn't often come here. Here, Saria, let me help you…"

"I'm fine, I've got it, don't stall, let's go!"

"Saria?" spoke up Middori as her older sister raced for the door.

"What?"

"Are you going to play tonight?"

Saria stopped at the door. She stood frozen for a moment before turning and running back to the bed. Jumping on top of it, she reached her hands down between the bed and the wall; when she pulled them back up, her fingers were closed around a clay ocarina.

"Thanks, sister. Now hurry up, all of you! We're late for the feast! It's Miko's Eve!" Laughing aloud, Saria sprinted out of the house, calling over shoulder, "Last one there's an old Moblin!"

And she was gone.

* * *

_When Summer lies upon the fields, and in a noon of gold_  
_Beneath the roof of sleeping leaves, the dreams of trees unfold;_  
_When woodland halls are green and cool, and wind is in the West,_  
_Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land is best!_

_-- J.R.R. Tolkien. The Two Towers.

* * *

_

One can explore Hyrule for a lifetime and still never see the end of its magnificence and beauty.

The terrain of the Goddesses' Land is varied and exotic. Zora's River, sprung from the blessed waters of Zora's Fountain, flows through the lush fields that take up most of the land's area and births several smaller rivers and tributaries as it goes, all of which eventually empty into the crystal lake in the south; the fertile fields are a sharp contrast to the barren and colossal desert in the west. Hyrule Castle, a beautiful construct of white stone and the seat of the Hylian monarchy, lies further northward; even farther north than that, visible to the whole land, the active volcano Death Mountain marks Hyrule's northernmost border.

But none of these things compares in size or splendour to the vast forest named the Lost Woods.

The forest takes up more land than the lake, and that is just within the borders of Hyrule; it actually stretches far beyond those boundaries, reaching around to brush against the base of the Mountain and to caress the personal lands of the Royal Family, on which the Castle is situated. It may be that it does not reach as far into the east as the desert does into the west, but this is a supposition and not a fact: cartographers of all races and shapes despair of ever accurately mapping either. The forest is the subject of more legends and stories than any other of Hyrule's localities; people whisper of spirits walking in physical guises beneath the trees, of hidden tunnels that lead to the corners of the earth, and of ghosts which drift among the branches to slay intruders; they speak of ancient castles covered and absorbed by the growing plants, of immortals who can bend fate to their will, and of trees that have lived for millennia, drinking in the forest's vigour until they can wield the powers of magic and science as well as any wizard. They say that within the edges of those Woods, there are enough races, creatures and forms of magic to make up an entire world.

These are, of course, myths, and so are not true.

The truth is much more strange and wonderful.

The forest _is _an entire world.

At its fringes, it is much like any other forest on the Goddesses' earth. Going deeper, the sky becomes blocked out by the shadows of branches and a shroud of heavy mist hanging over the trees. Here, where the light reflects oddly from things and gives everything an unnatural ethereal quality, the fairies are found. Scarce elsewhere in Hyrule, in the Woods they swarm by the thousands. The smallest and most numerous fill the air like fireflies, but are as insubstantial as sunlight; more powerful versions shape themselves into spheres of light, and fly about on gossamer wings; others become tiny, winged, Hylian-shaped sprites, or gigantic and dendroid tree-men, or any other of a thousand shapes. Guardian fairies, those who watch the forest children, are special: while appearing to be a less powerful variation of the fay, and while subject to more rules and restrictions than their lesser kindred, in terms of pure magic they are dwarfed only by the elves of the Wood, the Kokiri Forest Children themselves.

Within the Woods, distance and direction becomes meaningless. While made up of trillions of smaller lives, the forest is also a single ancient entity, answering only to the Great Deku Tree and the Kokiri: under its branches, a traveller can go only where the Wood decides to take it. Those who enter the trees uninvited, unless they are fortunate enough to be killed by the Deku Scrubs, Deku Baba or other creatures born of or animated by dark spirits and black magic, are lost in the maze of phantoms and illusions the woodland projects; slowly, they are overwhelmed by the forest spirits and become trapped in the cycle of the forest's life, becoming spirits and monsters themselves until the Lost Woods release them.

On the other hand, those with the Wood's blessing may be brought deeper into the trees, where they discover things that they could not have otherwise imagined. The forest is connected to many places. Some paths lead into the Mountain and to the mouth of the River, to the basements of Hyrule Castle and any one of a hundred forgotten labyrinths that lie beneath Hyrule Field. Others lead farther: into the hidden and deadly Well of Souls, from which the Shadow Folk emerged from the underworld; through ruins of ancient civilizations, races who tried to invade and conquer the Lost Woods, and were conquered instead; past the three mammoth and magical trees which guard the Sleeping Garden, where the First Kokiri was laid to rest; through other worlds and planes, to places fantastic and exotic; and, some say, still farther and further, even to the edges of the Sacred Realm itself, where the Goddesses completed their labours, created the Triforce, and left for the heavens.

Death Mountain is huge, and the desert is unmapped, but the forest is immeasurable. It has no edges. It is not evil – very far from it, in fact – but it is hazardous. There are few things in the world so full of life and magic, so unimaginably old, or so very, very dangerous.

And there is no better place for Farore to have situated her Garden of Eden.

* * *

"…_Around it goes, then up and around around…  
Bugs blackly, bleakly bring the blinded, sing the sound__  
Hope, the heart's hearth, now harshly, hardly has heard__  
How round it goes, goes round, goes round the word…_

…_Goggle, they goggle, glaring at the gleaming goad,_  
_As wondering a-wander, they walk a-widdershins the winding road…_  
_Now the nameless notice how, not knowing, they had never heard:_  
_How round it goes, goes round, goes round, goes round the word…"_

-- _Tad Williams. Tailchaser's Song_.

* * *

Notes and Trivia:  
_-- Please let me know if there's any confusion about the nature Kokiri kids or anything like that. I'd like to think that I've written it in a way that's easy to understand or envision, but I have a bit of a biased perspective.  
__-- I wonder how many people notice how, in the game, Saria occasionally refers to herself in the third person.  
-- Next Time: observations about the Kokiri; Aylla's uneasy; Aililik tries to be sneaky; the celebrations of Miko's Eve._


End file.
